The Ones Who Remain/Issue 10
This is issue 10 of The Ones Who Remain, entitled: Never Changing. Issue 10; Never Changing Mike doesn't know what to think. As he lies in Caitlyn's lap, his body aching, his face sore, he was told that he can go. Some blonde woman stands in front of him, her body tense and uptight, and behind her stands Johnson, who always seems to have this smug look on his face. "What did you do to him?" the blonde woman, Cameron, asked, turning toward Johnson who simply shrugs his shoulders. "He looks...hurt." "Shit happens." Johnson said. "You got your kid, now go." Cameron scoffed. "What did you do to him?" she repeated, her face getting redder and redder by the second. "Like I said, shit happens." While this exchange is going on, Mike found himself lost looking back into Caitlyn's eyes. Her reassuring and sympathetic eyes provide so much comfort for him--he doesn't wanna leave her. As much as he wants to leave this--this Hell, he can't find it in his heart to leave Caitlyn behind, not after everything she has done for him--what Freddy has done for him. "Yo faggot, you deaf? You're leaving now." Johnson forcefully said, drawing Mike's attention away from Caitlyn. Caitlyn sighed. "He's t-too hurt to move." Caitlyn barely stuttered out, eyeing Johnson. "Too hurt?" Cameron repeated, her voice breaking and the sympathetic look coming over her. That's the last thing Mike needs, more sympathy. "I'm--I'm fine." he lied, lifting his head from Caitlyn's lap. He didn't want all this sympathy, in fact, he hated it. He hated feeling weak, and that's all that anyone ever sees him as now. Weak. Worthless. As Mike stumbles to his feet, in his best efforts to fight the unbearable pain he was feeling, both emotional and physical, he doesn't take his eyes off of Cameron. She seemed nice enough, but he remembers what Freddy told him. She's gonna use him for manual labor--as a slave. "I--I can't go with you." Mike said, his voice quivering. Johnson chuckled. "What?" He turned back toward Caitlyn, who watched him, the only thing she could possibly do was shake her head. "I can't leave her." "Don't be stupid, Mike." Caitlyn mumbled, rising to her feet. "You need to get out of here and you know it. They'll kill you." "But--" "No buts, Mike. You need to leave--you can barely walk." Cameron quickly stepped in, extending her arm to Mike, who just watched her, not knowing what to do. "I'm not your enemy, Mike. Truth is, I'm the farthest from it, but we need to go now while it's not totally dark yet." Mike looked back at Caitlyn, who did the only thing she could do, which was smile. Mike didn't know what it was, but something about Caitlyn's smile just made him feel like everything would be okay, that everything would work out in the end. He looked back at Cameron who looked at him, offering a faint, yet friendly, smile. With her arm still extended, Cameron grabbed hold of Mike's hand, and all he did was nod his head. "It's about goddamn time..." Johnson muttered, watching the two. "Let's hurry this up." ---- Mike is led outside of the prison by Cameron, Johnson, and a couple of other Echo guards who keep their gun trained on Mike. It's the first time he's been outside since he's been kidnapped, and, in these few days, he's faced more pain than he has ever faced in his entire life. He forgot how nice the moon looked, how bright in shined in the night--Nikki always loved it. Nikki. He almost forgot in his moment of freedom--she's dead. He had just gotten her our of his mind, and just like that, he's so painfully reminded about her and what Emma said. She didn't make it. He promised he'd protect her...he failed. Mike is suddenly nudged in the shoulder by one of the Echo guards who points him in the direction of a military jeep, where a couple of others sat, not in Echo uniform. He sighed. He didn't know what was coming but he was almost certain it wouldn't be good. When they reach the jeep, Johnson and his men disband, and Cameron stood by the back seat, waiting for the limping Mike to get there. "You okay, kid?" she asked, to which he silently grunted. "I'll take that as a 'no' then." "What do you want from me?" he quickly spat out. He didn't wanna look her in the eyes--he didn't want to see her look of pity. "I want nothing more than to help, Mike." she simply said, leaning back against the jeep. "Just hop in, I'll take a look at you when we get to the mansion." Mike sighed, before getting into the jeep, sitting next to an older man, his eyes a bright blue and his hair a dark gray. In the front seat sat a woman, brown hair, blue eyes, who watched Mike through the rear-view mirror. He didn't like all these eyes on him, but, he knew it was gonna happen regardless, so he tried to ignore it. It didn't take long for Cameron to hop in the passenger seat. She looked back at Mike whom stared out the window, and watched him do what Mike does best. Try and ignore everything in hopes everything will go away. "Is this the kid?" the brunette woman asked. "Yeah, Ally." Cameron mumbled, not taking her eyes off of Mike. "This is him." ---- Jared and Adrianna sat together in Nichols' office, and across of them, sat Nichols and one of his men, a man named Townley. Townley, according to Nichols, was an ex-Echo soldier who was shot in the back and left to die. How he survived...well, that's something Townley didn't even tell Nichols. Something he wanted to keep in the past. "So, let me get this straight..." Nichols began, looking between the two. "You want me to lend you a couple of my guys to go on this rescue mission for...?" "For someone who means a lot to us." Jared interrupted. Nichols scoffed. "Y'know, I'm not just gonna do that, right? You know I can't?" "C'mon man..." "Look Jared, I know where you're coming from--but this is not negotiable. My men are scattered as it is, and, there's no way I'm just gonna send them inside of Echo's base for some stupid-fucking rescue mission." "Please, sir." Adrianna quickly spat out. Nichols looked from Jared to her and a small smile crept on his face. "And who is this?" "She, Commander, is probably one of the toughest bitches I know." Jared said, looking back at Adrianna who's crossed her arms--she's getting pissed. "I doubt it." Townley mumbled. "Look, with all due respect sir, and uh, ma'am, do you know how ridiculous this sounds?" "Ridiculous?" Jared repeated, almost mockingly. "This isn't ridiculous. You might think we're crazy to risk out lives, but there is a seventeen year-old girl in the next room over who just lost her fucking mother. I am going to make sure she gets her brother back." Silence soon followed. Nichols and Townley both looked at each other unknowingly, and, as far as Jared could tell, he got them thinking. "Come on," Jared said. "You owe me." ---- In the room next room over, Nikki and Cal lied down on the king-sized bed. Nikki slept, but Cal couldn't sleep. He was tense, had just so much on his mind. He doesn't like being out of the loop. He knows what they're talking about right there and he wants to go over there and find out what the fuck was going on...but he can't. He can't leave Nikki, he knows that. This place is too dangerous for him to go off on some stupid mission and put Nikki at risk. He looked over at her, her blonde hair covering her face, her silent whimpering is almost painful to his ears and he just wants to help her. He just wants to wrap her in his arms and tell her it'll all be alright, but Cal has never been a good liar. He knows she'll see through his facade and that might just worry her even more. So he simply turns away from Nikki, shutting his eyes closed. He can't stand seeing her like this--but, there's not much else he can do until they get Mike back. ---- Sitting in the back of the jeep, Mike has just been thankful that the car ride has been quiet so far, and, according to the brunette, Ally, they only had a couple of hours left to go. As much as he's thankful he's our of Echo--out of that damn prison, he can't find it in his heart to believe it was right to leave Caitlyn behind, after everything she did for him. "This kid is fucking deaf, I swear." he can hear Cameron murmur in the passenger seat. "He's probably nervous--you know how stressful the transaction can be on us." Ally countered. Those words echo throughout Mike's head. 'On us'. Was she in the same situation as he was before? Why didn't she attempt to break free? "He looks hurt," Ally continued. "Just give him some time, I'm sure he'll come around eventually." Cameron scoffed. "I just saved his ass--least he can show me is some gratitude." "Fuck that..." Mike muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Cameron and Ally to hear. Ally couldn't help but chuckle as Cameron got madder and madder. "Y'know, Brenda told me you were a good kid..." "Brenda?" Mike repeated--almost in awe, looking up at her, her eyes piercing his through the rear-view mirror. "How do you know Brenda?" "And he speaks..." Cameron said, rather sarcastically. "Brenda is an...old friend of mine. When I found out her kid got locked up I figured I had to do something." "She's dead." "So I've heard..." Cameron softly said, sympathy stained in her voice. "I'm sorry, kid, I knew you two were close." Mike looked back out the window, out at the trees and the moon--the nature always seemed to calm him. "So am I." ---- Emma was never one for apologies. She always liked to keep the past in the past and what not, but, something changed for her today. Seeing the desperation--the fear--the tears from Mike, someone she helped raise, somebody she knew every-little-detail about...it got her mind racing. She doesn't like the person she has become. She doesn't like how willing she is to hurt someone else in order for her daughter's safety, but that's what you have to do in this world. She learned that one the hard way. Currently, she sat on the outskirts of the Livingston community, the place she helped build, now an outcast. Hiding behind the bushes, she watched the men of Livingston patrolled the wall. She knew that each one of them would probably shoot her on sight if she just walked up to them...but she needed to get Nikki. She needed to go get her daughter. Emma, remorse--determination in her eyes, gripped her assault rifle as tightly as she possibly could. She didn't want to shoot up the place, but, she needs to be prepared to defend herself if worse does come to worse. She hopped up from behind the bushes, and slowly made her way closer and closer to the Livingston wall. The men guarding the perimeter were completely oblivious to the fact that she was approaching, and, thankfully they didn't take their jobs too seriously. One of them sat their, visibly tired, ready to pass out at any moment, while the other two--a man and a woman, Emma recognizes them as a married couple who Foster recently brought into Livingston...she doesn't want to have to confront those two. The last thing she wants is to tear a family apart, she knows how it feels--she has to be precise. As she reached Livingston's walls, her eyes never leaving the husband and wife who looked so happy, just to be together...God, how she missed it. Sticking to the wall, she moved along the outskirts of the walls, desperately looking for a crevice she can fit into or, just an opening she can squeeze through. Her mind was racing though, what if she's killed before she can reach Nikki? What if Nikki was already dead? What if Nikki doesn't love her anymore? She stopped herself--she doesn't want to get into this, she doesn't want to think about that, not now. She'll deal with it as she gets there, and she knows Nikki knows she only did what she did to protect her...at least, she hopes so. ---- Cameron didn't know what to think of Mike. She can see the pain in his face, the fear in his eyes, and it's tearing her apart. She just wants to wrap him in a hug and say 'Everything will be alright', but, she knows that won't do him any good. She knew Ally was probably right, she just had to give him some time, he'll come around eventually. "Hey, I love you." she could hear Ally say from beside her, quickly pulling Cameron from her thoughts. Cameron was so lost in her thoughts, that she didn't even realize that they got to their destination. Cameron watched Ally jump out of the driver's seat, grabbing her gun on her way out, and she couldn't help but smile. Hopping out of the car herself, Cameron walked around the back of the car, and is greeted by a couple of other survivors, a tall blonde woman, early forties, wearing neon pink and a young boy, no older than fourteen. The young boy, with a smile that grew upon seeing Cameron, and he immediately threw himself in her arms, and she couldn't help but laugh, squeezing the young boy tight. "Cam--you you were only gonna be gone for a day--bitch." he said, smiling, even laughing. "I know, Kai." she said, her voice hushed, not releasing her grip. "Break up the love-fest, guys, we got something more important to attend to." Ally said, motioning to Mike who waited in the car, as patient as he possibly could. "You're right," Cameron said, releasing her grip on the young Kai, running her fingers through his hair. "Let's get him in, I need to take a look at him anyways." ---- Mike couldn't believe the size of this house, or what the brunette chick said before, this mansion. It was huge, and Mike was completely struck by this. Sure, in his history classes, his old teacher, an old friend of his mom's, Nicole, taught him how people were rich back in the day, getting big houses and nice cars, while others were poor, barely being able to survive on their own. Either way, he can't understand how someone could've been this rich, to live in something this big by themselves. Currently, Mike sat in the master bedroom of the mansion, sitting shirtless across from Cameron, who looked over his body, at his injuries, he sustained at Echo. Ally and Kai watched from the opposite side of the room, and Ally had her gun at her side...just in case Mike tried to do something. "Ow." Mike muttered as Cameron touched his bruised hip. "Sorry, I'm a little rusty." she admitted, looking up at him. His blonde hair covered his right eye, and the other one squeezed shut. He hated the pain, he couldn't stand it. "It'll get better in time, but, for now I wouldn't suggest moving around much." "Yeah, I know...just, hurts like a bitch." he muttered through his teeth, to which Cameron smiled slightly. This is who she's been waiting so desperately to meet for so many years? "What's so funny?" "It's just, funny, y'know? Brenda talked about you all the time, you're just like how I imagined you." she said, brushing her fingers against his ribs, to which Mike returned a painful moan. "I suppose." he shrugged. Truth is, he just wants to get the hell out of here. He want to go back to Livingston, and, even though Nikki won't be there waiting for him, he needs to go back for Cal. He needs to go back for Adrianna--he missed them all so much. "I know you've had a long day, so I'll check back in on you tomorrow," Cameron finally said, locking eyes with Mike. "Ally here will lead you to your room." Mike nodded. "Thank you," he said, his voice quivering. Cameron turned and quickly left the room, Kai immediately following her out of the room. Ally, who still watched Mike, just watched as he fell back against the bed, too tired to even move at this point. She knows how hateful, and how terrible the Echo guards are, she can only imagine what they did to a defenseless kid. Ally, who was mainly at a lost for words with this kid, just slowly walked over to the bed he was lying on. As she reached the foot of the bed, she looked over him. His face still bloodied and bruised, his chest a bright red, his ribs bruised, the kid looked like absolute shit, and she couldn't help but feel for him. "I don't want your pity..." she could hear him mutter, his voice small. She looked up at his face, his eyes barely open, and she could only try to force a smile. Mike closed his eyes, he doesn't know what he got himself into here. They're gonna put him into work, they might be cannibals waiting to get him when he's least expecting it. "Hey, look at me." he can hear the woman, Ally, say. "What's the point?" he said, opening his eyes to see Ally kneeling down in front of him, eye-level with him. "Look, I know you think we're bad people, that's what I thought too, but you need to trust me, we wasted a lot of supplies to get you out of there. We're going to need to send out three crews tomorrow just so we have food to last us the week." "Cut to the chase, what's your point?" he spat out. "I just want you to trust us. Now, if you aren't ready to trust the others, at least trust me. I know that's hard to come by these days, but I want you to know--we aren't going to hurt you." "What about you?" he suddenly asked. "Why are you here?" "I was in the same situation as you a while ago, maybe six years ago...I'm still surprised you don't recognize me." "Am I supposed too...?" "I'm not really surprised. I mean, last I saw you, you were a lot younger. You were only eleven or twelve when I was taken." she said, never taking her eyes off of Mike. "I practically raised you while Brenda was trying to rebuild Livingston." Mike looked at her...it's starting to come back to him now. "...A?" Ally smiled. "I--I thought you died. You never came back...Brenda told me you died." he continued. "I know, and I always meant to come back, it's just that I was needed here." "Why didn't you? I--I needed you. Nikki needed you. Jai needed you." "I know, Mike." she said. "It was hard on me, and, once I got word that Brenda already told everyone I was dead, I thought it was easier to just drop off the earth." "Why--" "I'm sorry, Mike. I really am...but now, right now, I need you to trust me. Can you trust me?" she asked, their eyes still locked. Mike didn't know if he could, however. Sure, he knows her--hell, he loved her, but she abandoned him. How can he trust her after that? But, it's not about what he feels or what he thinks, it's what will be better for him in the long run. "Yes," he lied. ---- Emma was inside of Livingston now. She was able to maneuver her way though a small little opening that was left unguarded with no worries, and it looked like getting to her house would now be more difficult than expected. She always liked being the center of attention, so, it only made sense she claimed the house directly in the middle of Livingston. Luckily, not many people were out at night, most people were asleep, and the only people who roamed around at night were the drunks and the people dedicated to keeping these people safe...which there weren't many of. Using the darkness to her advantage, Emma easily navigated the streets of Livingston, using the houses and cars for cover. As cool and confident as Emma looked on the outside right now, her gun in her arms, her head up, how fast and elegantly she moved....she was as nervous as could be. No matter what these people thought of her, they were still her people. These were the people she took in, she vowed to protect, she didn't want to have to hurt them. "The princess has returned..." she can hear a deep voice say from behind her, one she recognized. She sighed. "Foster..." she started, turning around, dropping her rifle to the ground, and throwing her hands in the air. In front of her stood Foster, Brenda's ex-right hand man, and current leader of Livingston. His menacing posture, his stylized M16 aimed directly at Emma's forehead. "You got a lot of balls showing your face around here, little lady." he said, his eyes wide. "Foster, please I just came--I just came for Nikki." she pleaded, her eyes misty. "Well, you're a little late for that." he said. "She packed up and left town to save pretty boy." "She's gone? She--she left?" "Gone, ma'am, and she dragged two of out best soldiers out there with her." he muttered. "I should kill you, you know that? I should a bullet right in between your eyes, let the blood fall slowly down your face, then burn your body with the other biters...but, no, I won't be doing that." "And why not?" she muttered. "I need your help. Livingston needs your help. You owe us that much." he said, slowly lowering his weapon, to which Emma simply nodded her head. "What do you need?" ---- Cameron walked along the outside of the mansion, a few survivors following her around aimlessly, Kai being among them. Taking a look at the surrounding border, Cameron always liked the small setup. A large inside, and on the outside was an electric fence, small but effective. It lights up the biters like a bunch of fireflies in the night, and keeps her people safe. Win-win situation. "So, what did I miss in my two-day absence?" she asked, taking a seat on a lawnchair in the front yard. "Both supply runs came back empty-handed, we need to start going deeper into town." a short, black-haired man said. He had a distinct Scottish accent. "Then that's what we'll do." she said, offering a smile. "Please, if you guys could just--leave me be for now, that would be nice. I kinda had a tough day." "It didn't go so well, did it?" another dark-skinned man asked. "No, no it didn't." she said, closing her eyes. "Can you just leave me with Kai for a moment? I really need some alone time." And with that, the group dispersed, aside from Kai who stood at her side. She quickly motioned for him to come to her, and he quickly lied down on the ground next to her chair. "I missed you." he said, looking up at her. "I missed you too." she said, smiling at him. "So, he's not what you were expecting, was he?" "No," she laughed. "Not at all. I'm sure he'll warm up to us soon." "I hope so. I know how much this means to you, Cam, this is all you ever talked about for however long I've known you. Being reunited with him. I'm sure it'll be everything you ever hoped for." "That's easy for you to say." she said, still smiling. "You don't know much about the world out there..." "He seems sane enough." Kai said, turning his attention from Cameron to the moon. "So, how do you think you'll break the news to him?" "I don't know." she admitted. "It's going to be so awkward, that, I don't even know how to bring it up. Do I just say, 'Welcome, and by the way, I'm your mom'?" Kai chuckled. "It makes absolutely no sense." "Nothing makes sense anymore." Kai said, still smiling. "I'm sure it'll be confusing and all that, but nothing that you can't do." Cameron smiled. "Love you, Kai." "Love ya too, Cam." "Now get to bed. Ally wanted to take you out on that run, you better be well-rested." Kai smiled, practically hopping to his feet. "Yes ma'am." he said, before slowly jogging off toward the mansion. "That was sweet." Ally called out behind her. Cameron quickly looked back, and saw Ally approaching, her walk confident. "How much of that did you hear?" Cameron asked, looking away from her. "You two are so adorable--you and Kai." Ally said. As Ally got to Cameron, she quickly took a seat on her lap digging her head into Cameron's chest. "Not as adorable as us, of course." Cameron laughed, kissing ally on the forehead. "Yeah, I know." "Mike is doing good. I got him situated in his room, and, we had a nice little bonding session." "Well, easy for you to do, you know the kid." Cameron retorted, sighing. "And you know him too...just, he doesn't know you yet." Ally said, grabbing Cameron's hand. "I know," she said. "I just gotta--gotta give him a little bit of time. That's all I need." "Exactly." Ally said, lightly kissing Cameron's neck. "You're stressing yourself out." "Yeah, I guess." she sighed. "I just really want him to like me, and you know me, that's not me at all. I couldn't give two-shits if you hated me or wanted to fuck me, but I just want him to like me. I really do." "And he will," she replied, offering Cameron a smile. "Just give him some time." ---- Mike couldn't stop staring at the ceiling of his new room. It looked like it was recently pained, and there was a poster of some guy named Justin Timberlake on it. He couldn't understand what the hell was going on. Weren't these people supposed to be the enemies? They're allies with Echo after all, they must be the bad guys. But then again, A, someone who he used to love was with them...but, how could he be so sure she hasn't changed? Regardless, he wasn't just going to wait and find out. Mike, though his holy body hurt like hell, just wanted to go home. Go back to Livingston, where Cal and Adrianna, two of his best friends, would be waiting for him. Go back to find out what happened with Nikki, he needed closure. Mike quickly pulled himself out of the bed he was lying in, and just moving hurt his body even more. But, he needed to do this. Quickly limping towards the bedroom door, Mike studied the route to the bedroom when he was brought in. All he had to do was make a quick right, go down a couple of staircases, then find a way out through the back door or something. As Mike reached for the doorknob, he started to hear loud footsteps and voices coming from the end of the hallway. "You know what? Fuck that." a deep voice nearly yelled throughout the mansion. Mike knew he couldn't go out through there, not with all these people here. He looked toward the back wall, and lucky for him, right behind his bed was a large window. He quickly limped toward the window, and instinctively removed the screen from the window, something he learned from Nikki during their rebellious stints. God, he missed her. He couldn't do that now though. Mike quickly pushed against the window, and before he knew it, it flew open. He smiled to himself, and peeked his head out of the window. It didn't lead to a roof, but directly below the window was a large bush, something he figured he could land on safely. As dangerous as it would've seemed to Mike a week ago, he needed to do anything to get to Livingston, he was ready. Mike quickly perched himself on the windowsill, looking down at the bush. The nerves were starting to come in. "Okay, okay, okay...." he said to himself under his breath. "You can do this, Mike. Just jump--just fucking jump." And with that, he dropped, and before he could notice, he was lying safely on the top of the bush. The adrenaline was now flowing through Mike, he couldn't feel anything. No pain, no emotions, just what was in the moment. He quickly rolled off of the bush, and limped as fast as he could away from the mansion, through the electric fence, and into the woods. Mike was no stranger to the woods, in fact, they were like a second home to him. He knew how to navigate them with no problem, and knew how to use the environment to his advantage. But, it wasn't until he heard the moans and groans of the biters until he realized his might've been a mistake. He had no weapon, not a knife or a pistol, to protect himself with, and his adrenaline started to ware off. All of the pain, from his head to his toes, started shooting throughout his body--worse than before, and he quickly collapsed to the ground. Holding onto his aching ribs, his eyes squeezed shut, Mike could hear the footsteps and groans of the biters get louder and louder until... Gunshots. Mike's eyes shoot open at the sound of them, and is just in time to see a biter, whom was just standing above him get shot in the back of it's head, the blood shooting into Mike's face, forcing him to shut his eyes again. "Mike? You fucking retard." he could hear an all-too familiar voice ask. He opens his eyes, and before him stands Nikki. Her eyes bright, her hair clean, no trace of dirt or blood or anything that could've meant trouble. "Nikki...?" he asked, a small smile forming across his face, before everything goes dark. Category:The Ones Who Remain Category:The Ones Who Remain Issues Category:Issues